Tim Van Berkel was one of several stars in contention throughout the PTO-supported Big Husky Triathlon in Australia last weekend, eventually earning a top-five finish.

The 36-year-old Australian was at the forefront of the field following a stunning bike leg, but he was then unable to keep pace with eventual winner Simon Hearn on the run.

PTO World-Ranked #39 Van Berkel came out of the water in eighth place in a time of 23:48 – 1:12 behind New Zealand’s Trent Thorpe.

Tim was the fastest man in the entire field on the bike, recording a split of 2:08:23 as the top 10 were then separated by a mere 11 seconds.

A run split of 1:16:33 kept ‘Berks’ in contention, but outstanding runs from Hearn, Tim Reed and Caleb Noble just pipped the experienced Aussie to the finish line.

With the Collins Cup on the agenda later this year, Van Berkel will hoping his performance at Big Husky helps to put him in contention for the landmark event. Team Internationals team captain Craig Alexander spent the day watching intently from the commentary position.

Tim said afterwards: “I was a little rusty, but it was good to be back racing again. Congratulations to the fellas up front”.

These are Tim’s ‘Weapons of Choice’:

Swim

Goggles: The Magic 5
Wetsuit: Deboer
Speedsuit: Deboer
Trisuit: Camino Apparel
Sports Watch: Garmin 920xt

Bike

Bike frame: Giant Trinity Advanced Pro
Frame size: Small
Aero Bars: Sync Ergonomics Project 0.2 Evo
Front wheel: Cadex Tubeless
Rear Wheel: Cadex Tubeless
Front Tyre: Cadex Race 25
Rear Tyre: Cadex Race 25
Component Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
Power meter: Shimano Dura-Ace
Head Unit: Garmin 520
Crank Length: 165
Helmet: Giant
Pedals: Shimano
Cleat System: Shimano
Cycling Shoes: Shimano S-Phyre RC902
Eyewear: Oakley
Gearing: 55/42 11-25
Saddle: Cadex
Hydration System: Giant inbuilt

Run

Shoes: Nike
Heart Rate Monitor: Wahoo Tickr
Eyewear: Oakley
Headwear: Modex Running Cap